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Tomorrow we get to celebrate the opening of Lake Union Park, a project that has been in the works since July 2000 when the city acquired the land from the US Navy. I’m awfully excited about this event, and not just because I’ve missed kite flying and float plane watching at the south end of the lake but because this is an area of the city that deserves to be celebrated.

Before park construction began, all that stood at the site was the deteriorating armory building and a vast, unkempt parking lot. No reminder existed of the beauty that was Lake Union before the Denny party arrived in 1851 or of what happened there after, when the idea of Seattle began to take root. It was there on the south shore that David Denny built the Western Mill and Thomas Mercer, after settling with his four daughters, proposed that the lake be given the English name “Union” because he hoped that all the city’s waterways would one day meet and connect there. For better or for worse, this is where “meman harishu” or “tenas chuck” became Lake Union and modern Seattle was born.

Which is why it’s so fitting that we should now have a gorgeous park where Seattle residents can gather, play and rest at the south end of the lake. The Museum of History and Industry, which will soon be housed in the armory, the Center for Wooden boats and historic trail markers will serve as constant reminders of what the location means to our city as well as providing an opportunity for visitors to experience Seattle in a fresh, interactive way.

Visit the Park Foundation’s website and you’ll notice that I’m not the only one who’s excited about the opening of Lake Union Park. When I first read the schedule of events, I was reminded of the fanfare that accompanied the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The party starts at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning and goes non-stop until 7 p.m. that evening, beginning with Tai-Chi on the fitness field and breakfast on the Virginia V (pastries $1). No fewer than four types of yoga will be offered over the course of the day, sixteen different musical groups on two stages, presentations by, among others, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, MOHAI, the Center for Wooden Boats and Kenmore Air and food vendors all day long, including the Molly Moon’s ice-cream truck. Basically, the only way this celebration could get any better is if they brought David Denny back for the ribbon cutting.

Check out the complete schedule here. I promise, there’s something for everybody.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..